Their Tell
by Fact Vs Fiction
Summary: Every couple has their tell. Ukitake ponders the history of Shunsui and his Nanao-Chan's.


**Title:**___Their tell_

**Author: **_FactVsFiction_

**Rating:**_ K+_

**Summary: **_Every couple has a little tell. Ukitake ponders on the history of Shunsui and Nanao's_

**Disclaimer: **_Don't own bleach!_

**A/N: **_Hey! So this is my first published bleach Fan-fic. I love Nanao and Shunsui together! I guess you could call this AU though since though I use the character of Lisa I haven't seen that far into the series yet._

**Their Tell**

Ukitake had always wondered if they ever noticed. Probably not… For all his womanising ways his best friend always had been entirely too naïve when it came to the 8th division's prim and proper fuku-taichou. Still. That little, seemingly insignificant tell had been present in their interaction from the very beginning. Ukitake mused as his thoughts wandered back to the past.

The 13th and 8th squads had been participating in some friendly sparring. It was nothing out of the ordinary in those days. Yamamoto had not been as strict on the rule forbidding inter-division training and at the time the 13th and the 8th had been almost the same entity. No. The only thing unusual about that particular day was that it was 3 days after Yadumaru-Lisa had left soul society.

Ukitake remembered clearly just how much of a mess his best friend had been at the time. Contrary to the beliefs of the majority of soul society Shunsui had not been sleeping with his Fuku-taichou at the time. He just missed his friend. (_And the paperwork she did too_. Thought Jyuushiro with a small smile.) Ukitake had suggested this particular sparring session in the hope of removing some of the strain of lacking a fuku-taichou from his friend's shoulders.

He had been shocked when he'd first laid eyes on the girl that would become the formidable woman that was Ise-Nanao. Unseated Shinigami were kept clear of these matches normally and this girl was obviously testament to why the rule applied. She looked no more than ten, and a small ten at that, with pigtail plaits which fell to her waist and glasses shielding violet eyes. One look in her eyes told Jyuushiro that she was still very young in spirit years as well as physically. She was pale and had an air of definite sadness around her, and distance, she was definitely distant. Ukitake heard a few jabs about the girl from the ranked 8th squad. Before Ukitake could question his friend as to her presence he had left his side and swept over to the girl.

"Yo Ise! You miss your mommy?" A cadet jeered.

It was at that moment that Ukitake realised that the sadness in his friend and the girl was one in the same… And she did look remarkably like lisa…

The little girl turned a glare that could kill on the cadet, who took a step back. "She isn't my Mommy!" stated the girl, Ise, in an incredibly cool and controlled voice. Her glasses flashed. Ukitake watched his friend kneel and speak soothingly to the girl who nodded at the floor. He had bumped his hand off hers gently and rose.

"Give her 5th seat Moto-san." Said Shunsui.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Ukitake still laughed at the memory to this day. He had been horrified at his friends Recklessness with a supposed child. Shunsui had just stated that she had a point to prove and said no more. He didn't bat an eyelid when she never drew her Zampaktu and just watched silently. Ukitake need not have worried. Nanao had wiped the floor with the 5th seat in 4 moves. She was a kidou master to be reckoned with, even then.

That little habit of bumping hands had continued as Nanao grew. 20 years after that incident at the sparring match she had, predictably, taken up the still vacant position of fuku-taichou to the 8th. Over the years Ukitake had come to know the girl through his closest friend. She had grown quickly into an understated beauty that Lisa had never possessed. She had cut her hair and her childish frames were long since replaced with sleek ones. But she was still wounded emotionally. She was controlling, detail-orientated and sarcastic. That was not even to mention her serious trust issues and problems with human contact. Even so, the free, fun-loving taichou's of the 8th had fallen head over heels for his complete opposite…

It was doomed from the start.

It wasn't the age gap, no. Issues such as that were unimportant in soul society due to the long life expectancy. It wasn't his position of power either. No it seemed that even to this day everyone knew the 8th division heads loved each other except the 8th division heads themselves. A relationship would cause problems. Neither were ignorant to the whispers that followed them when Nanao replaced Lisa. They _were_ very alike…

Atop the rumours came Nanao's trust issues. After learning of the girls past with her predecessor Ukitake couldn't say he blamed her. As hard as Shunsui tried Nanao refused to let him in and kept physical contact to a bare minimum. Which brought Ukitake back to the issue which had began this little trip down memory lane in the first place.

The bumping of hands.

It was the one tiny amount of contact that Nanao would always allow. Ukitake was certain they were unaware of the habit. Surely stoic Nanao-Chan would have a canary if she knew about it. No it was entirely subconscious. An instinct that they had held since they met. It was a way of communicating everything. Presence, support, importance… The trait regularly appeared in times of crisis and they took no notice of it.

Ukitake did though.

It was a symbol of everything. Loyalty, respect, a mutual friendship and love so deep that the duo could not even begin to recognise it.

Put simply it was their tell.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

Even now, as the captains and their seconds stood in wait in the execution grounds for Aizen's attack Ukitake watched the stern fuku-taichou's hand briefly bump her taichou's. The message was clear.

_We're in this together._

The pinkie finger on Shunsui's sword wielding left hand reached out, wrapping around Ise's smaller one and squeezed.

_I know._

Ukitake smiled. They may never recognise exactly what it was they had. But it didn't really matter, because for all their arguing and naivety that little exercise in physical contact said it all.

They stood together now and always would do.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOo

**A/N:**___Well! That's the end of that! Hope you liked it. It definitely isn't my best work but I think it's sweet anyway…. I was thinking of making the idea of tells into a series… What does anyone think??_

_Review!_

_Becca_


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